What’s Trending in Education: January 23, 2017

Selingo looks at the admissions statistics for the college class of 2021. At the most elite universities in the country, the acceptance rates continue to get smaller and colleges proclaim the virtues of their applicants with ever more superlatives. Selingo also looks at the pressure placed on parents and students by the competitive admissions process and offers advice for parents worried about the college admissions process.

According to a new national study, 38 colleges in the country, including five Ivy League schools, enroll more students from the top 1 percent of the income scale than from the bottom 60 percent of the income scale. While one in four of the students from the wealthiest backgrounds attend an elite college, less than one-half of 1 percent of children from the bottom fifth of the income scale attend an elite school.

Kurshan discusses the future of edtech under a new Secretary of Education. President Donald Trump has nominated Betsy DeVos for the position. DeVos has not publicly remarked at length on the role of edtech, which understandably troubles some edtech supporters. The new Secretary of Education will have the ability to continue or replace many edtech initiatives implemented by the previous administration. In addition, the new Secretary of Education can hire the next director of the Office of Educational Technology, as well as other key leaders in the Department that will implement and manage educational technology policy.